“This is our sickest patient,” my co-intern began as she told me about one of her patients I would care for overnight. It was my first week of intern year, and I was assigned the overnight cross-cover shift for a busy cardiology service. Introducing myself as “Dr. Tredway” still rolled awkwardly off my tongue, but I had grown more comfortable throughout the week in my new role as a physician. I could field multiple pages about the forty-something patients I was responsible for each night. I proficiently prescribed bowel regimens and repleted electrolytes. I carried a code blue pager, but it had not chirped once.Continua a leggere →

When you have a chronic condition, you end up seeing a lot of healthcare providers. A desperate search for suitable care led me down a circuitous path of arbitrary recommendations, fancy degrees, and experimental approaches.Continua a leggere →

A small group of third-year medical students and interdisciplinary faculty sit around a table. The students look weary—stethoscopes slung around their necks, white coats slightly rumpled, pockets overflowing with smartphones, pens, scraps of paper, a half-eaten candy bar. They are not sure what to expect, but they are glad to sit down.Continua a leggere →